c--  /6  T 


Circular  No-  167- 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 

BUREAU   OK   ENTOMOLOGY. 

L.  O.   HOWAKD,    KntomologUt  »nd  Chief  of  Bureau. 


THK  MOVEMENT  OF  THE  COTTON  BOIL  WEEVIL  IN  1912. 

By  W.  I>    llr\ri  in  and  W.   D.  Pii  i 
8outhem  F»i<l  Crop  ftutd  Inoatigatioru. 

The  movement  of  the  l><>ll  weevil  during  the  season  of  1912  is  of 
special  intereel  on  account  of  the  checks  the  inseel  received  by  the 

\ci\  unusual  climatic  conditions  of  the  winter  of  1911—12.  Not- 
withstanding   this  set  hack    the  insect    has  made  a   net   gain  of  7, .'!<»() 

square  miles. 

The  map  (fig.  1)  shows  the  extent  of  the  infested  territory  in  1912 
and  in  rarious  preceding  seasons.  There  are  three  points  thai  an 
especially  noteworthy  in  connection  with  this  map.  One  of  these  is 
the  failure  of  the  inseel  t<>  extend  into  central  Oklahoma  as  far  as  it 
did  in  1906.  The  second  b  a  comparatively  small  Loss  of  territory 
along  the  northern  holder  in  Arkansas  and  Mississippi.  The  third 
is  the  fact  that  the  weevil  has  heen  able  to  maintain  itself  prac- 
tically to  the  western  limit  of  the  area  of  continuous  cotton  culture 
in  the  central  part  of  Texas.       The  western  limit  of  cotton  culture  in 

Texas  is  far  beyond  the  line  showing  the  limit  of  the  weevil-infested 
territory,  hut  the  intermediate  area  ha-  very  few  cultivated  fields, 
separated  by  long  stretches  of  pasture  land-. 

The  line  marking  the  limit  of  the  infested  territory  at  the  end  of 
the  season  of  1912  run-  as  follows: 

In  Tex. us,  beginning  .it  Del  Rio  on  the  Rio  Grande  in  Vahverde  County-  thence 
including  Roosevelt  in  western  Kimble  County,  Menaxdville  in  Menard    County 

Abilene  in  Taylor  County,  Jacksboro  in  Jack  County;  retreating  between  .(ack.sU.ru 
ami  Decatur,  excluding  Arlington  in  Tarrant  Cvumy.  i.i.i-  Mosquito,  Lancaster, 
Richardson,  Farmers  Branch,  and  practically  all  »i  I'd. 
Faiuieisfille  in  Colhn  County;  excluding  shonn.ur  ttt  iImwiu  Cmuil: 
at  the  northeast  corner. .f  Fannin  County. 

In  Oklahoma,  from  a  point  opposite  the  Dotthoas)  roniel  dTFannin  County  fT 
the  line  ioDowi  the  ri\er  valley,  includes  BugtV  an. I  U-.wi--  rhe  Statfe  iT»Th»  north. M.-rt 
center  of  McCurtain  County. 

In  Arkansas  the  line  includes  Mens  in   Polk  i..untu  th*  lt>ver  o«l"«e  3TT 
County,  Conway  in  Faulkner  County.  Clarendon  u  B  i  -  •  n  omrtj    +&1  passes  out  of 
State  just  below  Helena. 

71306'— 13 


THE    MOVEMENT    OF    THE    BOLL    WEEVIL    IN    1912. 


Tin     M0VBMEN1    DF    mi.    B0L1     WEEVIL   IN    191*. 
In  ifiaiarfppj  the  Hue  punt  .<  fen  mil.-  belon  Bateau  Life  In  Panola  '  fount) .  about 

'2  mlfea  BOUtfa  of  Springdafe  ill  Lafayette  I  ..tm  I  y.  tli  nn  ml  i  AJgl  .111.1  in  PontOtOt  •  I '.  >n  nl  \  . 

just  below  Planteravilfe  in  Lee  County,  .ii t  3  miles  northeast  ol  Unorj  in  Hoi 

County,  and  leaves  the  State  at  Galtman. 

In  Alabama,  according  to  Dr  W.  E  Einda,  the  line  paaaei  near  Belli  in  Payette 
County,  through  Gordo  is  Pickens  <  ounty,  acroai  the  southwest  comer  of  Tuacalo 
County  and  tli«"  iiorilKM.n  corner oi  Hale  County,  through  Sprotl  in  Perry  ''.unity.  6 
miles  eaat  ofSelma  in  Dallas  County,  through  Farmersvilfe  in  Lowndes  County,  north 
of  Greenville  in  Butler  County,  I  mifeaeast  ofGfenwood  in  Pike  County,  and  leaves 
the  State  ■'<  miles  tree!  of  Geneva  in  Geneva  Count} 

In  Florida  the  tine  passes  about  through  Prosperit)  and  Ponce  de  I  •  >n.     I 
very  little  cotton  in  thii  section. 

The  following  tiil>l<i  shows  the  gain  and  loss  in  square  miles  in  the 

various  Stair-.     Oklahoma,  Arkansas,  and   Mississippi  show   losses, 

while  Texas,  Alabama,  and  Floridashow  gains  above  the  area  affected 

in  1911. 

Thiol 


b  nn  i 

■ippi . 
una. 

Finn  I 


S 


Total 


in  ' 


■ 
■ 


wile*. 
11,060 


Loss  in  IH.'. 


In  101 


Square  mil".    Squire  mile*. 

■ 


8,900 
1,670 


L8,  MM 


We  are  indebted  to  Dr.  W.  E.  Binds,  oi  the  Alabama  Agricultural 
Ehrperimenl  Station,  for  data  i>n  the  advance  of  the  boll  weevil  in 
Alabama. 

Approved : 

Jambs  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
Washington,  !).(..  November  29,  1912. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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